Adventures In Presenting-Iowa Edition With Notes on Traveling

Due to construction along the route I would be taking, I decided to leave a little earlier than normal.  And, of course, there were no delays whatsoever.  You know that if I had left at my normal time, I would have been sitting there motionless amongst angry motorists for 14 hours or something.  Isn't that the way things go?  So while sitting at the train station an hour early as opposed to my usual 30 minutes, I pulled out my phone to check my eticket for my room assignment.  I purchased the tickets back in February and couldn't remember.  All of a sudden, I felt all tingly, a lump developed in my throat, and my ears began to burn.  The date of the ticket was for the following day!  #%&#($*&#(&*#@@!!!!!   I kept looking back and forth between the date on the ticket and the date on the calendar as if that would magically morph them into one and the same.


I had two options:  drive an hour and a half back home and an hour and a half back the next day, or change the ticket for the present day when I was already sitting at the station.   I always heard this type of stuff would happen when you get older.  I know we discussed these dates, but Mark apparently forgot, too, because he had a meeting scheduled at work the day when I was originally supposed to arrive.  Therefore, he wasn't going to be able to pick me up.  I changed the ticket 45 minutes before departure.  Thankfully, they had one room remaining.  Amtrak's policy is such so that there is no change fee.  You just pay the difference in fare.  Unfortunately, I had to fork out a good chunk of change for that mistake.  But at least the price was the same when I changed the ticket for the trip home.  Yep, had to fix that one, too.

Oh, and I left my eyeglasses on the train north.  Thank goodness for contact lenses.

But hey, all of my technology worked this time for my presentations!  Gotta look at the bright side!

And yes, I take the train or drive as opposed to flying because this is not the pose of someone supposedly living in a free country:

Nor is this, which is the option to the body scanner:

Last I checked, I was just traveling about my own country for vacations and stuff, not visit someone in prison.  Nor am I in prison.  I'm not a criminal, and I refuse to be treated like one.  I'm all for safety and security, but what's going on in airports is absurd.  The machines have been proven to be faulty and ineffective.  Scientists can't even figure out if they're safe or not.  Furthermore, I'm a Christian, and having a machine capture a naked image of one's body and enduring the touchy feely stuff during patdowns are unacceptable.   You don't have control over your own body at airports.  As a woman, this is very important.  So I have forsaken the so-called friendly skies, which is a shame because I used to enjoy it.

Until the government of my own country figures out a way to determine that I really am quite harmless without strangers in blue uniforms touching, loving, and squeezing, Amtrak will be earning all of my money.  I've been traveling with them since the madness at the airports began in 2010, and I've been very happy with them.  You just need to show up before the train departs, load your bags, and off you go.  It's extremely relaxing, the way traveling should be.   The downsides are that it takes a while, and it can be expensive if you opt for a room.  I always reserve a room as opposed to coach because sleeping in a seat is absolutely miserable. 

Regardless of whether you travel by coach or get a room, you don't have to check your bags.  Instead, you can keep them with you and store the bigger pieces in a rack.  If you need something, you just go get it.  You can also keep luggage with you at your seat in coach or in your room.

No, this isn't all my luggage.  8)

In your room, you can sit and read, listen to music, watch movies, watch the world go by, or make last-minute changes to Power Point presentations.  An electric outlet keeps all of your electronics charged.  You can also walk about the train if you prefer.

The seats push together forming a comfy bed.  There is also a bunk bed that folds down from the ceiling.

So I made it to Iowa safely and without being needlessly harassed by "security."  First up was a talk for the Des Moines Civil War Roundtable in Urbandale.  Before the presentation, Mark and I sat down with a little over 50 other attendees to a meal of turkey, pork roast, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and rolls.   I ate so much that  I was afraid I might fall asleep during my talk......a fate I also feared for the crowd!  Thankfully, we all stayed awake.  I saw lots of smiles and nods.  Folks chuckled when they were supposed to and asked questions afterwards.

Notice I'm wearing a sweater.  Temperatures dipped into the 40's that night......in May.  Thankfully, I checked out the forecast the day before I left and was able to make the appropriate changes to my wardrobe.  Wish I would have thought to do the same to my train ticket.


Once my presentation was over, the president thanked me and my "husband," as he kept calling Mark, and we were off for a few days of relaxation before the next one in Waterloo for the Cedar Valley Roundtable.   This was neat because their meetings are held in a G.A.R. Hall dedicated in 1916 to the soldiers from Black Hawk County who lost their lives in the Civil War.

I was thrilled that Mark's parents were going to be in attendance in addition to Bill and Amanda, who are reenactor friends of ours.  But I was also surprised and pleased to see other reenactor friends, Kathy, Janita, and Dick, present as well!  In all, there were about 35 attendees.  I always have a lot of fun giving my talks, but I especially enjoyed myself at this one because I knew so many of the nice folks there!

When president, Jim Peterson, introduced us, he announced Mark as only my "future husband" as opposed to my full-blown spouse.  I wonder if all of this is a sign.

Mr. Peterson said of my talk, "It was excellently presented and very informative."   He presented Mark and me with a couple of nice caps.

Speaking of Mark, when he's with me, he mans the uniform/gear table while I set up my electronic gadgets.   Folks naturally like to stop by and examine everything until the meeting gets started.  Some of them have never seen a soldier's gear before.  Care to guess what the top items of interest are?   The hobnails and heel plates on my brogans!  Mark says he gets lots of questions about them. 

Until next formation.......rest.